Car Review: 2012 Mazda3

2012 Mazda3.

Mazda

By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: August 16, 2012

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Monterrey, Calif. — Who knows what is truly Mazda’s motivation for its new Skyactiv technology. Perhaps the company really believes that internal combustion will triumph over electricity in the war to propel wheels. Maybe it’s that the increase in performance (along with the claimed decrease in fuel consumption that is the centrepoint of the SkyActiv program) better fits in its zoom zoom marketing motif. Or it could just be that its coffers are already so stretched that investing billions in electric vehicle research in return for the EV’s currently paltry profits seems foolhardy. Whatever the reason — and it well could be a combination of all three of the above — Mazda, more than most auto manufacturers, is committing to the internal-combustion engine, both compression and spark ignited (that’s diesel and gasoline engines to anyone who has a life outside of cars). So what is SkyActiv other than Japanese wordplay on the famed “the sky is the limit” proverb?

Well, in simple terms, it is a committed refinement of traditional technologies. Mazda’s automatic transmissions, for instance, see detailed, friction-reducing alterations. Weight, fuel economy’s biggest enemy, is reduced everywhere. Engines are refined. Put it all together and Mazda claims an astounding 30% decrease in fuel consumption without one complicated (and expensive) electron driving the wheels.

The sexiest part of SkyActiv (and, truth be told, almost all gasoline- fuelled automobiles) is the engine. And though Mazda will soon be introducing a diesel version of SkyActiv to North America, it is the gasoline engine that’s garnering the most headlines.

That’s because the 2.0-litre version of the Mazda3’s engine gets a 14:1 compression ratio, a number that’s simply stratospheric for anything not on the starting line at the Indy. But it does need some qualifying. Europeans, willing to fork out bigger bucks for premium fuel, will get the full monty 14:1. We petulent Nord Americos, cheap as we are, will have to make do with the 13:1 deemed the maximum for our lower-octane regular-grade gasoline.

Actually, even that’s not true, at least not currently. Because it’s a mid-model engine change, Mazda couldn’t fit the “bundle of snakes” exhaust header system that the full SkyActiv treatment requires. (Instead, current Mazda3s with the slightly watered-down version of SkyActiv “only” compress their fuel 12 times atmospheric pressure.

That’s still a whole bunch more than most of its competition. And even that seemingly diminished number requires some judicious fiddling. Direct injection (the fuel is pumped directly into the combustion chamber rather than injected in the intake manifold) keeps the fuel cooler for reduced detonation (the perennial bugaboo of high compression). Actually, it’s injected in two phases, the second squirt delayed until the last possible thousandth of a second so the fuel can stay as cool as possible. Mazda also futzes with the valve timing, extending the intake open period, again to make the engine more amenable to lower-octane fuel (more on that in a minute). The result, says Mazda, is more power (always a result of higher compression) and reduced fuel consumption (the more dramatic “expansion” of higher compression means more power can be taken from the same amount of fuel or, conversely, less fuel is required for the same amount of power).

It all works pretty much according to plan. The Mazda3’s latest 2.0L four-banger is comparatively powerful (155 horsepower, an increase of seven hp) and reasonably frugal (7.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway and 5.1 L/100 km in the city, both figures more powerful than the non-SkyActiv 2.0L available in the base model). The engine, especially when mated to the six-speed manual transmission, feels both powerful and sophisticated, eager for revs and smooth even when revved hard. It is one of the better small four-cylinder engines available.

The one oddity is that it doesn’t feel particularly torquey at low revs; two-litre four-bangers never do. But high compression usually increases low-speed power even more than at high rpm and the SkyActiv 2.0L doesn’t feels particularly strong until you get its blood boiling. Perhaps it’s the loss of the aforementioned more efficient exhaust system or that the also previously noted intake timing changes work better with the desired 13:1 (for North America) full-zoot SkyActiv treatment. Whatever the case, I expected more low-end torque than the Mazda3 delivered.

Nothing much else disappointed, though. The Mazda3, unlike most Asian econoboxes, truly is sporty with both suspension and steering feel European firm. The manual gearbox shifts slickly indeed and along a twisty road — such as California’s famed Highway Numero 1 — it all comes together to remind you that Mazda is the one Japanese automaker that still builds its reputation on auto racing (more Mazdas are said to be racing in North America than any other brand, Asian or otherwise).

Being a five-door hatch means it’s both roomy and versatile (handy since I had to pack all my gear for a later motorcycle trip). It’s also quite comfy with firmer seats to complement its sporty demeanor. Overall, the Mazda3 distinguishes itself from the competition not only by its SkyActiv technology (which, of course, we can’t fully evaluate until the full-zoot, no-compromises version arrives on these shores) but also by a distinctly sporty attitude. There’s a reason the 3 represents more than 40% of Mazda’s North American sales; SkyActiv should just add to that appeal.